Cuts and Bruises
by RidiculouslyOverObsessed
Summary: Rita Freeman backstory fic. After Mark returns to the ED just as life sttles down for Rita, she begins to reflect on the events that led to the present day. TRIGGER WARNING FOR DOMESTIC ABUSE, ABORTION, RAPE MENTIONS AND SELF HARM
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So after long and very interesting discussions with some lovely ladies on Tumblr, I decided to start writing a backstory for Rita and her relationship with Mark.**

 **Reviews would be greatly appreciated!**

* * *

The wind battered the tiny figure of the blonde as she walked away from the ED. She pulled her leather jacket tight around her shoulders, tears slipping down her cheeks. She'd never be free of him, not really. How could she be so deluded? He'd always had his iron clad grip around her throat, and now, five years later, that grip hadn't slackened even a little.

How could she have bee so stupid?

She sniffled slightly and quickened her pace, determined to get away from him. She broke into a run, tears blinding her sight. Rita didn't know where she was headed until she got there. The blonde stopped for breath as she reached the bay, her hair blown back from her face by the wind. She took a deep breath, staring out at the black expanse of water that lay in front of her, as rough and as turmoil as the fear and the despair inside her.

Her mind wandered, wondering how on earth she hadn't seen the signs before it had been too late.

* * *

 _The door slammed shut, Rita sighing softly as she busied herself in the kitchen, making herself a cup of tea. She was too tired for this, a drunken husband was the last thing she needed after the shift she'd had._

 _"Rita. Riiiita! Coo eee!"_

 _"I'm in the kitchen!" she called, rolling her eyes as she heard the drunken drawl from the hallway._

 _"Ooo! Pop the kettle for me hun-bun."_

 _"Alright!"_

 _Rita flicked the switch on the kettle and pulled a cup from the cupboard, jumping slightly as Mark wrapped his arms tightly around her waist._

 _"Mark!"_

 _"Whaaaaaat? Can't I give my favourite girl a hug after a long day?"_

 _"Mark you're hurting me sweetheart."_

 _"Ooops." The grip around her waist loosened as she put he coffee and sugar into the cup._

 _"Look at me." he commanded, Rita spinning obediently on the spot. She smillied at him, hiding a shudder as the stench of his alcohol soaked breath smacked her like a brick in the face._

 _"How did your shift go?"_

 _"Rubbish. We lost two teenage girls today."_

 _"Where you hanging out with him again?"_

 _"Him?"_

 _"Y'know. The head doctor."_

 _"James?"_

 _"First name basis?"_

 _"He's just a mate Mark."_

 _Rita turned round again reaching for the kettle. The grip around her waist tightened, causing her to gasp out in pain._

 _"Mark. Mark that really hurts."_

 _"They're never JUST mates Rita. I've seen the way he looks at you."_

 _"Mark let go. Please. You're hurting me."_

 _"He's having you as a bit on the side isn't he?"_

 _"Don't be ridiculous. Please let go."_

 _"ISN'T HE?"_

 _Rita flinched, terror coursing through her._

 _"No. I promise."_

 _"Then why are you trembling?" he whispered menacingly._

 _"You're scaring me Mark, that's why. I promise there's nothing going on."_

 _"LIAR!" he released his grip on her waist, spinning her around and pinning her to the wall._

 _"WHY ARE YOU LYING TO ME?"_

 _"I'm not, I swear I'm not."_

 _Mark struck her across the face, knocking to the ground. Rita let out a sob, her face ringing._

 _"Mark please-"_

 _He kicked her hard in the stomach, causing her to cry out in pain._

 _"MARK STOP! PLEASE!"_

 _"THEN STOP LYING TO ME!"_

 _"I'M NOT, I SWEAR I'M NOT!"_

 _Mark knelt beside her, gripping her by the throat. Rita gasped for air, scraping at his hand with her nails._

 _"M-Mark. P-please. I've never looked at any-one e-else. I-I promise." she choked._

 _Mark released her, letting her collapse onto the floor, gasping for breath. Her lungs were on fire and she felt dizzy, coughing and spluttering as Mark calmly got to his feet._

 _"Prove it."_

 _"W-what?"_

 _"Sleep with me. Now."_

 _"A-are you mad? After what you've just- done to me?"_

 _"Did I give you a choice?"_

 _"Y-you can't make me M-Mark."_

 _"Oh yes I can."_

 _Mark was on top of her in an instant. Rita struggled pain coursing through her bruised abdomen, as his hands travelled down to her trouser waistband, tearing at it, his nails ripping her flesh like tissue paper._

 _"Mark I don't want this."_

 _He ignored her, removing her underwear and flinging them to one side._

 _"Mark stop!" She fought to wriggle out from underneath him. She couldn't believe this was happening._

 _Mark silenced her by kissing her roughly, bitong down hard on her lip. Rita cried out in pain, still fighting him. Her husband uzipped his jeans, hastily removing them along with his underpants, discarding both._

 _"Mark. No." Rita whispered, letting herself go limp as he forced himself upon her._

 _..._

 _Rita awoke the next mornimg shivering. Wincing, she got up off the kitchen floor and stumbled to the bathroom. She turned on the shower, before sinking ungracefully onto the toilet lid. She ran a hand through her hair before taking a look at herself in the full length mirror. She had a bruise just beneath her eye and her lip was swollen, a deep cut running across it. Gingerly, she lifted her shirt and examined the bruises on her abdomen. They were large and bluey-green, the red gluge marks on her thighs contrasting them harshly._

 _Sighing heavily she clambered into the shower and washed off the dirt and the grime from the day before. Once washed, dried and dressed she made her way into the living room. Mark was waiting for and stood up as she walked in._

 _"You ready?" he asked, disturbingly cheerful, as if the night before hadn't happened._

 _"You what?"_

 _"The football?"_

 _"You are kidding me! Have you seen the state of my face?"_

 _"Oh come on Reets, you're not making a big deal of it are you?"_

 _"Not making a big deal of it? You come home, accuse me of sleeping with another guy, beat the crap out of me, fucked me on the kitchen floor, without my consent, and left me there!"_

 _"I overeacted. I'm sorry, I was drunk."_

 _"You think?"_

 _"Look Reets, I'm sorry. But it was much your fault as mine."_

 _"What?!"_

 _"You were the one giving out mixed messages. I was going to be suspicious."_

 _"I-I-"_

 _Mark wrapped Rita in his arms and kissed the top of her head._

 _"If you weren't so pally with him I wouldn't have reacted at all."_

 _"You're right. I'm sorry."_

 _"Good girl. So, football then?"_

 _"Sure. Let me just put some makeup on to hide this bruising."_

 _"Alright. But hurry, we'll be late otherwise."_

 _"I will, I promise."_

 _Rita carefully applied some conclear to her bruised cheek and face, content that the situation had been resolved. Mark was right. It was as much her fault as his. Besides, it was the first time he'd acted like that. It's not like he spent all his time beating her._

 _They were only cuts and bruises after all._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Next chapter! Thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed this so far. I'm going to start putting chapter specific trigger warnings at the start of every chapter, so that if people want to avoid only one of the triggers listed in the description.**

 **Reviews are always greatly appreciated!**

 _ **TRIGGER WARNINGS: DOMESTIC ABUSE**_

* * *

 _Three weeks later..._

 _Rita rushed to the bathroom, shooting out of bed like a rocket. She buried her head in the toilet bowl, heaving heavily. This had been happening a lot over the last week, and the short blonde was beginning to worry. She decide to see Carmen when she got to work._

 _"Rita? Rita where are you?" Mark called._

 _"Bathroom." she mumbled, her head pressed against the cold porcelain of the toilet._

 _"Rita? What's wrong baby?" Mark knealt next to her, brushing her hair from her face._

 _"Yeah... s'just a stomach bug. Maybe somat I ate. I'll be fine."_

 _"You're burning up sweetie. Let's get you to the ED."_

 _"S'fine. I'm fine."_

 _"No you're not. C'mon." Gently, Mark slipped an arm around her waist and helped her to her feet._

 _She leant heavily on her husband as he led her to the car, buckling her in carefully. He climbed in next to her and started the car, racing down the streets that led to Rita's place of work. Once there, Mark parked as close to the entrance as he could and went back round to Rita's side of the car. He opened the door and unfastened her seatbelt, carrying her bridal style into the ED._

 _"A little help?" He yelled, as a doctor and a nurse rushed over, recognising Rita and Mark immediately._

 _"Mark?" The nurse asked, signalling for a trolley, "What happened?"_

 _"Carmen! I-I don't know. I woke up this morning and she wasn't in bed. I went looking for her and found her bent over the toilet. She's had stomach bugs before, but I've never seen her like this."_

 _"Alright Mark. Don't worry, we'll get her sorted." Carmen replied, coaxing Mark to put her on the trolley._

 _"We've got her Mark. Just wait here for a minute." Dr Hartford reassured him._

 _"Why can't I come with her? C'mon Jenny you've known us for years!"_

 _"I'm sorry Mark. It's the rules I'm afraid, no relatives in resus."_

 _"M-Mark?"_

 _"Yeah Reets?"_

 _"I'll be fine. Just wait here."_

 _"Are you sure?"_

 _"Yeah. Carmen and Jenny know what their doing."_

 _"Alright... fine. I'll be right here waiting for you."_

 _Rita's friends wheeled her into resus, taking her stats as they went. Rita allowed herself to slip back into unconsciousness, content that she was in the right place._

 _..._

 _"Rita?"_

 _The blonde groaned softly, coming around._

 _"What? Who?"_

 _"Rita it's Jenny."_

 _"Oh."_

 _"How're you feeling?"_

 _"Groggy. But otherwise okay."_

 _"We ran some tests."_

 _"What is it?"_

 _"Do you want Mark here for these?"_

 _"How bad is it?" Rita cried, shooting up in alarm._

 _"It's big news. But it's nothing bad, I promise."_

 _"Where is he?"_

 _"Just outside."_

 _"Okay bring him in."_

 _Jenny ushered Rita's worried looking husband into the room. He rushed to her side and took her hand in his, brushing her fringe from her eyes._

 _"How you feelin'?"_

 _"Groggy. But I'll be okay."_

 _"You sure? I was really worried this morning."_

 _"I'm sure."_

 _Mark looked up at the doctor who had the results clasped in her hands._

 _"What's the verdict Jenny?"_

 _"There is nothing to be worried about. All the blood work and organ function tests are normal."_

 _"So what is it?" Rita asked, confusion creasing her features._

 _"Morning sickness. A bad chase of it sure, but just morning sickness."_

 _"Wh-what?" Rita looked from Mark to Jenny and back again, realisation setting in._

 _"So... she's pregnant?" Mark mumbled._

 _"Yes."_

 _"How far gone?" Mark asked._

 _"About ten weeks." Jenny smiled, "Congratulations guys. I'll give you two some time to let this settle in."_

 _"Thanks..." Rita whispered, suddenly nervous. She couldn't dismiss the knawing fear in her gut. Maybe it was just on the back of the events three weeks prior, but that was just the one time. Mark wasn't even drunk now. So why couldn't she shake this feeling?_

 _The door shut, leaving the two completely alone. Rita looked down at the bed sheets in front of her, fiddling with the corner. The room was deadly silent for a good five minutes before Mark finally spoke._

 _"I thought you were on the pill?" he asked quietly._

 _"I-I am."_

 _"Then how?"_

 _"Sometimes they don't work. No contraception is a hundred percent effective."_

 _Mark placed his hand on her wrist, leaning in close._

 _"You need to get rid of it."_

 _"W-what? Why?"_

 _"Because I don't want it."_

 _"What about what I want? What happens if I want this baby?"_

 _The grip around her wrist tightened, causing Rita to wriggle uncomfortably._

 _"Let go Mark. That hurts."_

 _"You are getting rid of this."_

 _"Mark-"_

 _"Face it Reets, you'd make an awful mother. You're never home, you're selfish. It's all about you. Do you honestly believe you can raise a child?"_

 _Tears slipped down Rita's face. He was right. She'd make an awful mum._

 _"Okay." she whispered._

 _..._

 _Two weeks later..._

 _"Have you done it yet?" Mark was on her back the minute she walked through the door._

 _"Give me a break Mark, I've been working double shifts! I've barely had time to wash, never mind scheduele on appointment at the clinic!"_

 _"You can't leave it much longer, you'll start to show!"_

 _"Oh for God's sake! Just leave me to it! I'll get rounfld to it soon."_

 _"I get it. Why don't want to get rid of it."_

 _"You do?"_

 _"It's not mine is it?"_

 _"What?"_

 _"It's that sleaze James' isn't it?"_

 _"Not this again! We're just FRIENDS Mark. I can be just friends with a guy!"_

 _"Is he pleased his little fuck-bunny's up the duff?"_

 _"It's not his! It's yours you moron! And you clearly don't want it. We could be a proper family Mark, but you don't want that." Angry tears slipped down her cheeks as her hands balled into fists._

 _"I don't want a family because you'd mess it all up! If you were any other woman I'd be more than up for it. Look at you. You're a mess."_

 _Rita grabbed her keys from the bowl and made for the door. Mark grabbed her roughly by the wrist, shoving her against the wall._

 _"Where the hell do you think you're going."_

 _"To mums. I've had enough of this Mark. I won't stand around and listen as you insult me anymore. We're done "_

 _"Oh no we're not."_

 _"Get off me Mark. We're finished."_

 _Mark gripped her by the chin, forcing her to look up at him. Rita met his gaze with a fiery defiance determined to hide the terror she felt._

 _"It isn't finished unless I say so." He growled, his whiskey laced breath burning the blonde's nostrils._

 _Keeping her pressed against the wall with one one arm, he landed a hard, swift punch to her abdomen, Rita crying as she felt her ribs crack. He continued to pummel her stomach, covering her mouth to muffle the cries of pain that escaped. Satisfied that he'd driven the message home, he let her slide to the floor. He knealt in front of his sobbing wife and pulled her into a hug._

 _"I'm sorry babe, but you made me do it. You didn't do as I asked. You lied to me. I didn't have any other option. You understand that don't you?"_

 _The sobbing blonde nodded furiously, too scared to disagree with him._

 _"Good girl. You're going to make an appointment at the clinic tomorrow aren't you?"_

 _"T-there's no need. I-I'm bleeding Mark. I-I've lost it."_

 _"Well that saves time and money then. You'll need to check then."_

 _"T-they'll see the bruises."_

 _"We'll tale you in now then. You were mugged on your way home. Right?"_

 _Rita nodded feebly, too overcome to say anything. Mark drove her back to the hospitial, putting on a concerned facarde as he helped her out._

 _"Carmen!" He yelled, spotting the nurse in the car park._

 _"Mark? What happened?" Carmen raced over, dropping her cigarette._

 _"Rita she- she turned up at home- said she'd been mugged- she's bleeding- the baby-" he stammered. Rita kept her eyes on the ground, hiding her disgust at the sudden concern for their unborn child._

 _"Alright Mark, stay calm. Rita, Rita sweetie, look at me." Carmen prompted gently, concern written in her face. Rita looked up, her eyes meeting her friends._

 _"How much bleeding has there been?"_

 _"A-a lot. Too much." Rita sobbed._

 _"Okay, It'll be okay. Let's get you inside to check. Come on. Lean on me."_

 _Rita leant heavily on the nurse as she staggered into the ED. Mark followed closely behind, fixing a worried look on his face._

 _..._

 _Jenny sighed softly as she put the scanner back on the ultrasound machine._

 _"I'm so sorry Rita. You've lost the baby."_

 _Rita covered her mouth with her hand, sobbing quietly. Jenny placed a comforting arm around her shoulders._

 _"It'll be okay Rita. You can try again. You'll have your own little squirt one day."_

 _Rita sniffled softly, knowing deep down that Mark would never allow it. Besides, he was right. She'd make a shit mum. Mark stuck his head around the door, his eyes meeting Jenny's who shook her head sadly._

 _"I'll leave you two alone to take this in. I'll be back in a bit to discharge you."_

 _"Kay." Rita mumbled, not looking at Mark as the door shut behind the departing doctor._

 _"Hey. It's okay, it's for the best." Mark soothed, sitting down on the bed next to her. He went to take her hand but she snatched it away._

 _"Hey come on Reets. Don't be like that! You're the one that drove me to it!"_

 _"I want a divorce Mark." Rita stated bluntly._

 _"Now you're just being ridiculous."_

 _"No. I'm not. You've beaten the crap out of me twice now. It won't happen again."_

 _"Rita, I'm sorry. It will never happen again. I swear it won't. Please Rita, I love you."_

 _Rita's eyes met Mark and she saw the fear in them. The fear of losing her._

 _"Fine. But if it happens again, we're done. Do you understand?"_

 _"Yes. It won't I promise."_

 _Jenny stuck her head around the door, a soft smile on her face._

 _"Hey. Ready to be discharged?" She asked._

 _"Yeah. I've seen more than enough of this place lately." Rita sighed._

 _"Are you sure she's okay to go?" Mark asked._

 _"Absolutely. It's just cuts and bruises affter all."_

* * *

 **A/N: Please review!**


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